Let’s start with today’s news, because the illusion of safety is dying before our eyes. On December 14, 2025, during a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach, two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of celebrants, killing at least 16 people, including a child, and injuring dozens more in what authorities immediately declared an antisemitic terrorist attack. Australian leaders called it a deliberate attack on Jews gathered for a religious festival. Explosive devices were even found near the scene.

This wasn’t a random act of violence. It was targeted, ideological, and murderous—a chilling escalation from rising antisemitic incidents across Australia over the last two years. Hate crimes such as synagogue firebombings, arson attacks, and vandalism surged sharply following the Gaza conflict in 2023.

That this massacre happened in a country once thought safe from such horror should be a wake-up call. But in the West, we rarely connect the dots between ideology, intolerance, and violence. Instead, we hear soothing phrases like “isolated incidents,” or “complex social problems.”

Let’s be clear: tolerance is not a suicide pact. Ignoring ideology that openly despises Jews and glorifies violence invites exactly this kind of catastrophe.

Europe’s Crisis: Paris Cancels New Year’s Eve Celebrations

Meanwhile, in France, authorities recently cancelled the traditional New Year’s Eve concert on the Champs-Élysées—an event that typically draws millions—not because of snow or infrastructure issues, but because of threats to public safety tied to extremist violence and migrant-associated unrest in Parisian suburbs. Critics point directly at rising violence linked to poorly integrated immigrant communities, especially in areas dominated by Islamist radicalization and socioeconomic alienation.

This is what happens when governments refuse to enforce assimilation and security. Streets once teeming with cheer now carry a heavy security presence; celebrations are replaced with pre-recorded broadcasts and ominous warnings from police urging citizens to stay home.

France’s Jewish community has felt this shift acutely for years. Antisemitic abuse and attacks surged long before 2025, with synagogues, Holocaust memorials, and Jewish businesses repeatedly targeted.

This isn’t hypothetical fear-mongering. It’s reality.

Terrorist Attacks Aren’t “Blips”—They’re a Trend

Across the West, incidents once thought impossible are becoming alarmingly routine:

• In France, the Mulhouse stabbing attack in February 2025 saw a knife assault tied to militant Islamist extremism, killing a civilian and wounding officers. The perpetrator was a known extremist whom the state had tried—and failed—to deport.

• In the UK, the Manchester synagogue attack in October 2025 involved a vehicle and knife assault on worshippers during Yom Kippur, killing three and injuring others in a brazen terror act targeting Jews.

These incidents aren’t isolated blips; they’re symptomatic of a wider pattern: violent ideology crossing borders and exploiting gaps in enforcement, assimilation, and public discourse.

Why Leaders Refuse to Face the Truth

What’s most disturbing is not the violence itself—terrible as it is—but how Western institutions react:

• Politicians avoid naming Islamist extremism as a root cause.

• Media treats antisemitism as a side effect of geopolitics rather than an ideological grievance worth confronting directly.

• Law enforcement is reactive instead of preventative.

When a growing number of European mayors warned recently that antisemitism is at crisis levels, they were met with platitudes rather than decisive policy responses.

This silence and equivocation create an environment where extremists feel emboldened, and their violence metastasizes.

Not All Muslims Support Extremism—but Extremism Supports Violence

Let’s make this clear: criticizing Islamist extremism is not hatred against Muslims. It is confrontation with a political and religious ideology that explicitly uses religion as a vehicle for violence and antisemitism. Millions of Muslims reject violence and live peacefully. But the refusal to call out the radical elements—who use the same symbols and language as their peaceful co-religionists—is a strategic error with deadly consequences.

The events in Sydney, Paris, Manchester, Mulhouse, and other cities prove one thing: when extremist ideologies are left unchallenged, they breed violence. And when governments treat ideology as taboo, they cede public safety to those who don’t share Western values of pluralism and respect.

Conclusion: Western Societies Must Wake Up

We can no longer pretend that these incidents are anomalies. They are part of a global trend of ideological terrorism and antisemitic violence that respects no borders and targets innocent people during religious celebrations, public holidays, and national festivities.

Ignoring the phenomenon doesn’t make it go away. It empowers extremists and endangers Jews, Christians, secular citizens, and anyone who believes in open societies.

If Western leaders want to preserve civil order and protect all citizens, they must stop minimizing the problem, start naming the ideology fueling the violence, and begin policies that confront extremism at its roots. That is not prejudice—that is survival.

The post Islamist Extremism and the Global Surge in Antisemitism: The Brutal Truth the West Refuses to Name first appeared on Poor Norman News.

Aggressiveness theory cannot explain

If you’re like me, you are probably still reeling from the ill-fated mass shootings that have swept through the United States this year. The latest incident occurred in Monterey Park, CA this morning, when a gunman opened fire in a dance hall full of people celebrating a holiday, killing 10 and injuring 10. This event will reverberate throughout the country.

In an effort to better understand the epidemic, the Pew Research Center commissioned a study that looked at not only the number of gun-related deaths in the past decade, but also the total number of homicides. While the results are a mixed bag, the center found that gun-related deaths are on the rise.

Active assailant incidents

The number of active assailant incidents in mass shootings in the United States has continued to rise. Although not all of these attacks result in mass casualties, they are still significant events.

These attacks often target high-profile areas like schools, churches, and retail centers. In addition, active assailants are motivated by political and religious beliefs.

A recent study conducted by the FBI found that there is an increasing number of mass public shootings. Mass shootings have been known to take place in a variety of settings, including shopping malls, restaurants, transportation hubs, and music festivals.

These attacks can be fatal, but they can also be highly unpredictable. As a result, organizations need to prepare for such incidents. One way to do this is to develop an emergency management plan. This plan is meant to mitigate the loss of life and assets during a crisis.

Misogyny

Misogyny is a type of sexist ideology that targets women directly, or indirectly through the targeting of men. It is a political strategy employed by authoritarian leaders across the world.

It is a form of politicking that helps to sustain political and social policies, and to entrench political leaders. The logic of misogyny is to punish women who challenge male dominance and to reward those who reinforce the status quo. In turn, it provides the authoritarian leader with electoral legitimacy and the means to restore the nation’s pride.

Misogynist authoritarians project themselves as messianic protectors of the nation and are committed to reinforcing the embedded patriarchal order. They emphasize the threat of “Others” to the state, and the need to clean up corruption and challenge dynastic rule. These leaders also support populist social welfare policies.

Racism

A recent spate of mass shootings in the United States has highlighted the threat of racism and violence. This epidemic is fueled by powerful social forces, including racism, gender bias, xenophobia, financial fears, and distrust of government.

The United States has seen 253 mass shootings since the start of the year. This is more than the total number of shootings in the other developed nations combined. In addition, the country is experiencing a disproportionate number of fatal police shootings in Black and Latinx communities.

Several of these attacks are motivated by white supremacist ideology. The Buffalo supermarket shooting is a recent example. The gunman was allegedly inspired by racist screeds on social media. His manifesto, which outlined his attack plan, was filled with misogyny and racism.

Law enforcement response to school shootings

The law enforcement response to school shootings in the United States can be a challenge, especially if the shooting involves children. Some families have called the response “absurd,” while others have demanded that the police force be removed from schools. Regardless of the criticisms, there is little dispute that the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s police force failed to respond appropriately.

Several investigations have found that officers were ineffective at stopping the shooter. One report, based on a review of law-enforcement documents, found that some officers failed to bring protective equipment to the scene. Another revealed that some responding officers waited nearly an hour to enter the classroom.

In the case of the Aurora, Colorado, shooting in January 2012, some law enforcement personnel from multiple overlapping agencies failed to communicate effectively. A report based on the results of a law-enforcement investigation concluded that the incident commander did not properly communicate with other first responders.

Poor Norman

The post The Epidemic of Mass Shootings in the United States first appeared on Poor Norman News.